Day 151

When I was younger my parents convinced me to join a girl's only youth group.

It was this church based thing for anyone under 18, like scouts but more prayer.

The leaders seemed nice but there was always something a bit off about them.

Whenever they gave us something to do they'd group together and mutter.

Eventually their annual sleepover came about and as I was officially a member

I was invited along with the other girls my age.

It was normal at first - we played some sports, discussed a Bible verse, had some

food and then got sent to a large room on the upper floor of the church (where the

older girls had their discussions away from the little kids).

We got told off a few times for the usual amount of noise, as you'd expect from a

bunch of barely-teen girls.

It settled down around 9 and everyone dozed off.

I had the strangest dream that night...

I dreamt the leaders woke me up really early.

They gave me a red dress and a candle and told me to go with them.

We went to the churches' organ where they pressed the levers in a pattern I can't remember.

It swung out gently like it was on hinges and we descended the staircase behind.

I remember it was cold and I felt worried.

I had no idea where I was going or if the other girls were there.

Eventually we came to a large door at the base of the stairs which the elder leader opened

with her rosary beads.

This part I remember the clearest.

The room we stepped into was huge - way bigger than the main church hall!

And everyone was there, all of the girls, even the young ones.

They were standing in a circle around a raised platform where the youngest girl (I

think her name was Chloe) stood in the centre of some weird drawings.

The elder leader said that if I wanted to be a full member of the group I had to prove

my loyalty to the church and their cause.

I had to burn Chloe.

And I did.

I woke up the next morning in my pyjamas and all alone.

Seems they let me sleep in later which was nice of them.

I tried to find Chloe just to prove my dream wasn't real but she was nowhere to be found.

The leaders said she got sick during the night and was taken home.

I almost believed them until I saw that my feet were soot black underneath

from walking on Chloe's ashes.